Although the ball passed through the defense, the players from the Komadai Fujimaki High School baseball team, who were anxiously watching, finally felt their hearts relax.
No home run!
For them, as long as Sawamura didn't hit a home run, everything was still manageable.
It's no wonder the players of Komadai Fujimaki High School had this bit of hope.
The pressure Sawamura, the Demon King, had previously put on them was simply too great.
The moment Sawamura stepped up to bat, their first impression was that they might be facing a home run!
Now, it wasn't a home run but just a regular hit, and although Sawamura had sprinted to second base, the players from Komadai Fujimaki High School can work with that.
They had confidence in their Ace pitcher's abilities.
On the pitcher's mound, Hongou was a little unwilling.
So close, just a little bit more, and he would have gotten Sawamura out.
When Sawamura hit the ball, he had been worried, and for a moment, he even thought the baseball might fly out of the stadium.
But luckily, that didn't happen.
The reality was that Sawamura had hit a double.
Now, Hongou's next task was simple.
In the stands.
Fujio, an experienced reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine, looked at Sawamura, who had reached second base, and furrowed his brows slightly.
It could have been his imagination, but he felt like Sawamura had deliberately held back during that at-bat.
People who weren't very familiar with Sawamura, or those who hadn't studied him in-depth, might have trouble noticing this.
During the at-bat, Sawamura had precisely hit the sweet spot of the ball.
In other words, he had seen the pitch perfectly and hit it precisely.
The only reason this didn't result in a home run was that Sawamura had not put his full strength into it.
When Sawamura goes all-out during a swing, it's obvious.
He would twist his body like a rope, using his body's rotation to increase the force of his hit.
If he had used this technique during the last at-bat, it was very likely he would have hit a home run.
But Sawamura didn't do that. He just made a normal swing.
He hit the ball into the gap in the outfield.
Why didn't he finish the game with a home run?
Why only get on base?
Fujio couldn't understand.
But he knew there must have been a reason for Sawamura's actions.
This guy never felt like a simple teenager.
Sometimes, his thoughts were even more mature than those of adults.
Those familiar with Sawamura, those who had interviewed him often, could easily notice this.
Even Fujio, an outsider, could sense it.
Not to mention Seidou High School's coach and supervisors.
Coach Kataoka furrowed his brows tightly.
"Something's off!"
Although he couldn't pinpoint exactly what felt wrong, he always felt that Sawamura had held back during this at-bat.
But from what he knew of Sawamura, the player was always serious when facing a game.
It was hard to imagine he had any reason to hold back against his opponents.
Meanwhile, Coach Kataoka had some suspicions at this moment.
He looked at Sawamura with a complicated expression.
Sometimes, he even felt like Sawamura's loyalty to Seidou High School's baseball team might surpass his own as the coach.
Having a disciple who knew how to be grateful was his luck, and the entire Seidou team's luck.
Back then, Sawamura had chosen to join Seidou High's baseball team, rather than any other top-tier team.
That was truly the best decision.
Perhaps to Sawamura, it was just a minor life choice that had no bearing on his future.
But for Seidou's baseball team, for all the players who got to play with Sawamura, they undoubtedly owed him.
Without Sawamura's joining, achieving the current success would have been impossible.
Truly, thank you.
Coach Kataoka's thoughts couldn't be understood by the fans in the stands.
Fortunately, no one was expecting Sawamura to hit a home run at that moment.
They couldn't demand that from him.
If you expect a player to hit a home run every time, then you are bound to be disappointed.
No player in this world can achieve that level.
Every time they step up to bat, they hit a home run.
That would not be a human being, but an alien from Krypton.
Although Sawamura had remarkable achievements, there was still a long way to go before reaching that level.
Even so, the fans were still excited when Sawamura managed a double.
At that moment, they only hoped that the next batter, standing behind Sawamura, would continue the momentum and not waste his hit.
In the corner of the stands.
Takashima Rei crossed her arms and looked at Miyuki, who had stepped into the Batter's Box.
A cold smile curved her lips.
She truly felt sorry for the players from Komadai Fujimaki High School.
They had barely stopped Sawamura's potential home run, and now they had to face Miyuki.
And with a runner on base, facing Miyuki.
In such a situation, if you searched through the entire Seidou High baseball team, there was no batter more reliable than the one standing right now.
In this situation, even Sawamura's hit success rate might not be as high as Miyuki's.
At the catcher's position, Renji also understood this.
As someone playing the same position, there were probably few who knew more about Miyuki than Renji did.
Miyuki Kazuya!
Currently, among all the catchers across the country, he is the most talked-about.
In other words, the majority believed Miyuki was the number one catcher in high school.
As a catcher himself, Renji couldn't help but pay attention to Miyuki.
And because of this attention, Renji knew Miyuki much better than most people.
'It's because we're in the same position that I can see just how terrifying this guy is. Honestly, in this situation, he might be even harder to handle than Sawamura.'
If he had a choice, Renji wouldn't want to face Miyuki in such an unfavorable situation.
Though he was confident that Miyuki couldn't hit a home run off Hongou.
To hit a home run off Hongou, a terrifying amount of power was needed.
While Miyuki had trained hard, it was clear he didn't have that kind of terrifying strength.
That meant a home run was impossible.
But a hit? That was possible.
With a runner on second, if Miyuki could get a hit, they would score another run.
The score would become 2:0.
In a regular game, such a score wouldn't be hard to overcome.
But in this match, they had to fight to even get a hit.
After all, their opponent was the nationally renowned Demon King, Sawamura.
For Komadai Fujimaki's players, just getting a hit off Sawamura's pitching was already a difficult task.
Let alone scoring a run.
Honestly, even though the game had reached the 7th inning, the players from Komadai Fujimaki High School hadn't found any hope.
There was no hope of hitting a pitch from Sawamura.
Not even a little.
They didn't even have a hope of getting a run, let alone scoring more.
The players from Komadai Fujimaki High School were on the brink of despair.
If the score really did widen to two runs, though they wouldn't admit it, deep down they would know.
The game would be lost for them. They couldn't catch up, let alone take the lead.
To put it bluntly, the bet against Miyuki was too big for them to handle.
Renji felt it was a gamble he couldn't afford.
But his partner's state wouldn't allow him to back out.
Hongou, who had faced off with Sawamura without allowing a home run, was brimming with confidence!
In this case, having Hongou avoid facing Miyuki was simply impossible.
Renji knew that even if Hongou reluctantly agreed to avoid the confrontation, his spirit would be broken.
Hongou had already thrown plenty of pitches.
If he lost his resolve and fighting spirit, could he continue to face Seidou's batters?
Renji believed not.
Thinking it through, despite the danger, avoiding the showdown with Miyuki was impossible.
They had to face it, and they had to win.
Taking a long breath, Renji signaled the pitch.
Though he still had some worry in his heart, his actions were decisive.
From a rational standpoint, facing Miyuki now wasn't the best idea.
But from an emotional standpoint, Renji chose to trust his partner.
He had known Hongou since childhood; they were like brother and comrades in arms.
They had faced many challenges and opponents together.
In those encounters, they had won some and lost some.
But most of the time, they won, even if they lost early on.
So deep down, Renji trusted Hongou.
He believed his partner would come through in the end.
Pitchers and catchers share a bond, and Hongou, one of the nation's top pitchers, would be even stronger with Renji's help.
The pitch Hongou threw now felt as if it could light up the sky.
It was as if the ball itself could blind you.
'Here it comes!'
ROAAR!
Having thrown nearly 80 pitches, Hongou's pitch seemed to have gained even more power.
Miyuki, at the plate, seemed to be caught off guard.
He watched as the ball flew by, unable to swing in time.
'Good!'
Although Renji still felt uneasy, the outcome wasn't bad.
Miyuki seemed startled by the pitch, which was why he didn't swing.
This was good news for Komadai Fujimaki.
To maximize this advantage, some tactics were necessary.
"Great, well thrown!"
Renji passed the ball back to Hongou, praising him along the way.
They had already sent the signal.
'Keep the rhythm and pitch quick.'
With Sawamura on second base staying still, they no longer needed to focus on him.
This allowed them to focus entirely on the batter.
That is, Miyuki.
'Let's go!'
Hongou received the ball and didn't hesitate.
He trusted Renji's judgment, and now there was no time to doubt.
The ball whistled through the air.
Miyuki, at the plate, seemed frozen.
Two pitches, and he didn't swing.
"STRIKE!!"
Although Renji still felt uneasy in his heart, they had come this far, and they couldn't back down.
'Let's settle this!'
The deciding pitch!
Though Hongou had other changeups, this was his signature pitch.
ROAAR!!!
When Hongou threw this pitch, he put everything he had into it.
Though he appeared indifferent on the outside, it was clear this was the most important pitch.
Two Strikes ahead, just one more!
As Hongou thought this, Miyuki, the batter who had never swung at the previous two pitches, finally swung!
PAAAAAKKKKK!!!!!!
The baseball soared into the sky.
In the stands at Koshien, 55,000 pairs of eyes were on it.
Earlier, they had thought Sawamura might hit a home run, but he didn't.
At least, Sawamura had broken his own record, so the audience wasn't too disappointed.
There was a bit of regret.
But given how both Aces had performed, no one thought a home run was possible now.
They would probably never see such a hit again in this game.
But just when everyone gave up, Miyuki stepped up.
Everyone had thought his hitting power wasn't enough for a home run.
Hongou's pitching was too powerful for anyone to imagine hitting a home run.
But reality was brutal.
CRASH!!!
Under the gaze of 55,000 eyes, the baseball flew over 90 meters, nearly 100 meters, landing in the stands.
…